A Day in the Life of an Innovator #IMMOOC

Relationships and collaboration are crucial to innovation, but what about working in isolation? Where does that come into play?

A couple weeks ago I had an opportunity to get @GoogleforEdu and #googleexpeditionsAR on my campus. I've coordinated a similar day with Google Cardboard 3 years ago, and it was just as much of a whirlwind this year. Relationships and collaboration are crucial. I wouldn't be able to get to where I have in isolation, but this day was a good snapshot of what it might look like at times when you do venture out on your own, whether by choice or necessity. 

Let me break down the timeline for you that led to the day of isolated innovation.

• Saturday, October 7th 10:17 am
• I respond to an email I get as being part of a GEG-CENTX (Google Plus group of Central Texas Educators) in which there is an application to apply for this experience. I forward that information on to my administrator to see if she supports it if we are chosen. I didn't want to wait to apply, as I could always turn it down after we are chosen, so I applied first, then asked. I know that is going to make some people feel uncomfortable. My intention was never to move forward without her consent, so I am comfortable making that call.
• Tuesday, October 10th 1:17 pm
• I receive an acceptance from Google and an event date of Thursday, October 12. That's right. Less than 48 hours later. With the acceptance was a spreadsheet of information that I needed to provide to Google with 20 teacher names, content to be used with AR program for each teacher, two dedicated empty rooms for the day close to one another, as well as two point of contacts to stay with the google contractor all day. At this point the event was not a confirmed yes, but a maybe from Google. IF I could get my information to them and IF there weren't too many schools simultaneously applying that might take our spot.
• I was in parent conferences all day, so I did not actually see this until the evening. Closer to 7pm, I frantically check the faculty calendar, text my administrator and two second grade teachers, as Thursday happened to be an event day for second graders and so I knew a few of the empty campus rooms would be used. 
• Once I got the all clear from second grade and admin, I sent a staff email at 9:01 pm asking for the first 20 teachers to respond to be put in the schedule. 
• Wednesday, October 11th 7:03 am
• I emailed our PTO volunteer coordinator to ask to please find 2 parents that could spend the day at our school on short notice. 
• By 7:33 am I had all the teacher responses I could fit in the schedule that Google provided. At this point there are already students in my classroom and my "regular job" is starting. 

Over the course of the next few hours I tried to hop between my lessons, my students in stations with self-guided tasks, and compiling all the required information in the provided Google Sheet. I sent the document to Google at 10:02 am and then waited to find out if we would make the cut. I finally get the word that its a go at 12:57pm. 

I prefer to work with people, to have people to share the burden of stress and pressure. I was not all alone in this endeavor, I did reach out to people to help. If I had stayed in isolation, I would only have access to my class of parents, instead of the whole school who might have time to volunteer. But, if I had not have taken the reigns, it may not have gotten done. Time crunch is a quick way to get people to back out. You have to hope your organization is flexible to make the necessary adjustments, moving recess, splitting a class up, etc to make it work. 

Innovation sometimes requires you to go out on your own. When the opportunity and information is shared, timing might not work for others. Their plates may be full. Its not that they don't want to join, they just can't. So you decide do you miss it, too? Or go it alone? I've tried to make a personal policy of always saying Yes first. If I have to back track and back out, I can. But I start with Yes.